I have a couple of Pakistani-Indian dahl recipes on my blog. As I have mentioned elsewhere, I grew up eating dahl. In particular this red lentil version known as Masoor Ki Dahl was an almost daily staple.
I am sharing this fat free version here, that my mom used to make back in the days when she wanted to lose weight (funnily enough, she was onto something there about being fat free!). Also, I love the spicy, richness, and comfort that such foods can bring.
I trust that you will enjoy this dahl, without sacrificing any of the flavor of a typical Pakistani or Indian dish.
Pakistani-Indian Dahl
Ingredients:
- 1 cup red lentils (dahl)
- 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 inch knob ginger, finely chopped
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp cumin seed powder
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 6-8 curry leaves (optional)
- 1 green chilli, sliced
Directions:
Firstly, boil the lentils in 2 cups of filtered water until soft, about 12-15 minutes. Then water saute the tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger and all the spices. Once they are all soft and fragrant (should smell really good), add this mixture to the lentils. Finally, garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced green chillies.
Enjoy!
Pakistani-Indian Dahl
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils dahl
- 2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 inch knob ginger finely chopped
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp cumin seed powder
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 6-8 curry leaves optional
- 1 green chilli sliced
Instructions
- Boil the lentils in 2 cups of filtered water until soft, about 12-15 minutes. Water saute the tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger and all the spices. Once they are all soft and fragrant (should smell really good), add this mixture to the lentils. Garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced green chillies.
6 thoughts on “Pakistani-Indian Dahl (Fat Free & Great for Weight Loss)”
Looks yummy can’t Wait to try them Thank you Muneeza !!
Regine, let me know what you think!
Hi Muneeza! I took your amazing Intuitive Adrenals Reset Program and loved it so much! You taught me that to be truly fat-free was to only eat fruits and veggies. (Green peas are okay too.) But you mentioned that all lentils, beans and grains contain some amount of fat. Is this recipe truly fat-free because it contains lentils? If not, could you please clarify totally fat free vs. overt fat free? It is confusing and I think the clarification would make it so much clearer. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. Many blessings!
I’m so happy you loved the Intuitive Adrenal Reset Program. I certainly loved running it. Your question here is a good one. So, please let me clarify a bit. When I refer to fat free in a recipe, I am referring to radical (overt) fats. This is standard practice industry-wide to only refer to radical fats when calling a recipe fat free because as we know, there are fats in everything, even micro fats in fruits and vegetables. While we all receive the most healing benefit from the holy four (fruits, vegetables, herbs & spices, and wild foods), everyone is in different places on their healing journeys and thus include in their diet what works for them. Being fat free (meaning free of radical/overt fats) is an important goal for a lot of people. If you are however able to go the next step and eat only foods that are a part of the holy four, that is fantastic and will offer even more healing benefit.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question. I really appreciate it! It makes perfect sense and going forward I have the knowledge I need to understand. Thanks again!
You are very welcome, Jena.